Half Jack
by Soozen
Summary: Kyo battles the Cat of the zodiac.
1. Chapter 1

**NOTE**: I was previously under the penname **sue sue magoo**; do _not_ accuse me of plagiarism. This is my story. sue sue magoo and Soozen are the same person- me. Thank you.

* * *

"…_I'm halfway home now  
__Half hoping for a showdown  
_'_Cause I'm not big enough to house this crowd  
It might destroy me  
But I'd sacrifice my body  
If it meant I'd get the Jack part out…"_  
-Half Jack by the Dresden Dolls

* * *

The house was silent, still, as Kyo sat on the floor of his room, preparing himself for what was about to happen. He'd purposely waited for a time when the house was empty, when there'd be no distractions. It was after school, after weeks of planning. Tohru had work, Yuki had a student council meeting, and Shigure was out somewhere.

He sat with his back straight, eyes closed, willing his body to relax, his mind to expand, to open. He needed to be totally relaxed, disconnected with his body for this to work.

He was going to kick the cat out, once and for all.

The Cat was always present in his actions, in his thoughts. Kyo assumed it was the same way with the other cursed members of the family; that they felt their spirit counterparts presence. It never spoke to him, it was just _there_, always there, a lingering presence.

If that was all the Cat was, Kyo could handle it. He could stand sharing his body with this spirit. But that was not all it was; the cat was the most vengeful of all the spirits, and that was why he was the most cursed of the fourteen. If he did not wear those special beads, those precious beads that sealed the Cat away, then Kyo's body would transform into the cat's. But, the part that Kyo could not stand to live with was the constant ridicule, the torment that was brought on because of the spirit that possessed him. The other family members hated the Cat, and Kyo was included. He hated that spirit, hated it for all it put him through. He had to prove to the family that he was not _the_ Cat, that they were wrong about him, that he was just as good as everyone else. It was time for his body to be his, and only his.

Kyo found, during his training in the mountains, that when he meditated, he would become more aware of the Cat's presence. At times, if he meditated long enough, he could feel himself being pulled away from his body, and then he could see the Cat. Its form was exactly the same as the one he turned into without his beads. It wasn't long after he realized that he was on the same spiritual plane as the Cat when he meditated that he began to form a plan to force the Cat out.

He felt himself drifting away, felt the Cat more and more. And then, he saw the Cat, crouching in pristine white spiritual world, glaring at him. Kyo stared back; they were on the same plane now, and he wasn't sure if the Cat knew why he was here.

_Kyo Sohma_.

That voice, it was loud and quiet at the same time, powerful and yet as soft as a whisper, and it seemed to echo around him. The Cat had not moved, had not opened his mouth, but Kyo knew it had spoken to him.

"Hello Cat."

_You are a foolish boy. I know why you came, and you will fail._

"Like hell I will," Kyo said through gritted teeth. "That's my body you're in, not yours. I want it back, and I want you out."

_I chose you to house me. I will not leave that body until you do, or until you beat Rat._

"That's your battle; you fight it!"

I_ am, Kyo Sohma. I am fighting it through you. Do you not want to gain revenge for what that Rat has done to us, to you? You are the strongest body yet; you may defeat him_.

"I ain't fighting him for you! You go find that damn rat, and you fight him. Just get the hell out of my body!"

_Foolish boy. I will never leave._

"I'll fight you, I'll force you out-"

_And you will fail, and only hurt yourself. Whatever hurts your spirit also hurts your body. You will die, Kyo Sohma; I guarantee it._

"And I'll be free from you."

_You really are a fool._

He lunged at the Cat.

* * *

Tohru walked happily home from the building she worked at. There had been a mistake in the schedule; too many people were at work today, and she was told she could go home. It'd just be her and Kyo at home; Shigure told her not to make him dinner for he was going to be at Aaya's all night and Yuki had said something about a meeting. Maybe she could make something fresh for dinner, instead of the leftovers she had planned out for them, and surprise them. And Kyo seemed to like to cook; maybe they could make something together!

The house was unnaturally silent when she stepped inside. Not that Kyo was always loud; he was actually pretty quiet when he was by himself. But the lack of noise puzzled her. She had expected to hear the soft sounds of the television, or maybe Kyo's grunts and yells as he trained.

"Kyo?" Tohru called up the stairs. Had he gone out? After waiting a moment for a response, Tohru turned to go into the kitchen. Suddenly, there was a bang, as though something had been slammed against the floor, and she heard a moan.

Immediately, Tohru ran upstairs to Kyo's room. What had happened? Was Kyo hurt?

* * *

"Get the hell out of my body!" Kyo yelled as he ran to attack the Cat again. His first move had been weak; the Cat had sent him flying away. He had landed hard, but strangely, it didn't hurt.

_You are only hurting yourself, Kyo Sohma._

"I don't give a flying fuck!"

He kept kicking at the spirit, punching it, attacking in any way he could. Sometimes he'd miss, but mostly, he'd hit his mark. Not that the Cat wouldn't hit him. More than once, he'd been struck in the stomach, had been thrown off, was scratched. But, he never felt any pain.

_The girl is out there. She is worried about you, Kyo Sohma._

The Cat had spoken during a slight pause between their fighting. Kyo, despite never getting hurt, was growing increasingly tired. The Cat didn't look much better; it was panting. At least it had bruises forming, and several cuts; Kyo, as far as he could see, had none.

"Like hell she is," Kyo responded, panting just as hard as the Cat. "She's at work."

_She is not. You can't sense her? She is beside you, Kyo Sohma. She is worried. Your body is breaking._

"Huh?"

_Every hit you take from me shows on your body. It is breaking, Kyo Sohma. Go back to your body, before any more damage is done._

"When I go back, it's going to be without you."

* * *

When Tohru opened the door to Kyo's room, she found Kyo sprawled on his back on the floor, his eyes closed.

"Kyo!" she cried, rushing to him. "Kyo, are you okay?"

He didn't respond as she knelt beside him; he was unconscious. Tohru bit her lip. Should she call Hatori? Would Kyo be all right if she left him alone?

Then, as she stared down at him in uncertainty, a thin red line appeared under one eye. It grew thicker and thicker until it started to drip down his cheek; and Tohru realized it was a cut. A cut that had formed out of no where. What was going on?

And then, a bruise formed on his other cheek, right before her very eyes.

"Kyo…." She whispered, lost for what to do. This couldn't be real; wounds didn't appear out of no where.

Well, whatever was happening, Kyo was hurt, and Hatori had to be called.

"Kyo, I'll be right back," Tohru said softly as she stood up, though she knew Kyo couldn't hear her. She was nearly at the door when there was a loud crack and Kyo cried out, gasping for air.

Tohru turned around, and gasped in shock. Out of his chest, something white was poking out of his the thin cotton of his shirt, and blood was spreading around it; it was a bone. Without another thought, Tohru ran downstairs to the phone.

* * *

_You're getting tired._

Kyo grinned, wiping the sweat off his brow. "So are you."

_You will never defeat me._

"That's what you think."

He ran at the Cat, aiming for its legs. If he could just wound its legs, its hands, it would barely be able to fight. And then, he'd win, and the Cat would be gone. But, the Cat saw right through his attack, and charged at him, butting him in the stomach with its head. Kyo landed a few yards away on his back, gasping for air. It was then that the Cat chose to attack him, leaping at him. Kyo rolled to the side, quickly getting to his feet.

The Cat was tired, moving slowly now, far too slowly. It would be easy now, so easy. Kyo took aim and swung his leg up to kick it in the face-

And then, he felt himself being pulled away, the Cat was growing fainter; someone was waking him up.

"No! No!" he yelled, struggling to get back to the Cat. "No!"

There was the soft feeling of being settled back into his body, and then there was pain, incredible, intense pain. Kyo gasped, opening his eyes wide, a scream caught in his throat.

Hatori was bending over him, Tohru staring over his shoulder, tears in her eyes.

"Kyo," Hatori said, "what happened?"

Kyo couldn't answer; his chest, it hurt so much. Was this what the Cat meant, when it had said his body was breaking?

_I told you I'd never leave._

That whisper was so soft, Kyo almost didn't catch it as Hatori repeated his question. Cat was still there; he hadn't defeated him. He had been so close, so very close, and that chance had slipped away.

'Don't worry, Cat,' he replied. 'I'll try again. I won't stop until you're gone.'


	2. Chapter 2

"_See Jack run..."_  
-Half Jack by the Dresden Dolls

* * *

It was months before Kyo tried again, really tried. His body had been in no condition to go up against Cat; after the brutal beating he took, he was sure that he'd die if he tried too soon. Two ribs had been broken, an arm and a leg as well, and he'd have numerous scars from the deep scratches Cat gave him.

Kyo didn't even bother trying to explain how he got the injuries; it would sound insane if he did. Hatori assumed he had a rather violent seizure, and that's what the doctors at the hospital he had stayed at believed. The wounds had been too numerous, too great for Hatori to care for with the few medical supplies he had.

He wasn't sure that Tohru believed that it was just a seizure. She had seen it, she told him on one of her many visits to him in the hospital. She had seen wounds appear out of no where, that he hadn't been thrashing around. She didn't ask him what happened; he had been unconscious, so how on earth would he know?

But, as he healed, Kyo kept trying to think of ways to force Cat out once and for all.

He practiced meditating, until he could reach the spiritual plane that Cat existed on much quicker. He did it as often as he could; he kept a log on what times he did, and how Cat seemed to be acting during those times, if he was more sluggish at a certain time of day, or weather. Kyo all ready knew Cat was weaker on rainy days, and he planned to take full advantage of that.

And today was the perfect day to kick Cat out. Kyo knew it before he even opened his eyes. He felt drained of energy, like he could sleep another twelve hours or so. He even struggled to open his eyes as he heard the roar of the rain outside. Perfect, absolutely perfect weather. He forced himself out of bed, and downstairs.

"Good afternoon, Kyo!" Tohru's chipper voice greeted him as he thumped down the steps.

"After…noon?" he repeated, rubbing his eyes. He could barely keep them open, which was a good sign. Cat would be having an equally hard time keeping his energy up.

"Yes. I guess all the rain made you sleep late. I thought about waking you up, but I thought it'd be better if you slept a little longer," she said, biting her lip doubtfully.

Afternoon all ready? He'd have to get started. "It's all right…. I'm going to go out for a bit." Kyo turned to walk to the door.

"Are you sure you should, Kyo? I mean, you get weak from the rain and it would be bad if you got too weak if you're by yourself-"

"I'll be fine," Kyo said, cutting her off. "I'll be back in a while."

He grabbed his jacket on his way to the sliding back doors. Nothing would stop him now. Cat was going to leave, once and for all.

* * *

Almost twenty minutes later, he was back in that strange spiritual plane, staring at Cat. His body was in the woods, the rain falling in heavy drops through his clothes. It would be worse for Cat if he was actually being hit by the rain, and at the moment, cat was lying, as though asleep, what appeared to be yards away. The rain didn't effect him here; Kyo supposed it was because that here, he and Cat weren't one, but two separate beings, and thus he wasn't effected by what effected Cat. It opened one eye, and curled its lip back in what appeared to be a smile.

_Hello Kyo Sohma._

"Ready to leave, Cat?"

The smile widened. _You failed last time. You will fail again._

* * *

It was growing late, and Tohru was becoming increasingly worried about Kyo. Dinner was made and set on the table; Shigure and Yuki were eating happily. But Kyo's plate was empty; he hadn't returned from his outing yet, and he had left hours ago.

She stared at her plate, unable to eat through her worry.

"The stupid cat will return soon," Yuki said, bringing her attention back. "You should start eating while your food's still hot."

"I-I should go look for him," Tohru said absentmindedly, looking out at the doors through which Kyo disappeared through. "What if the rain got to him and he passed out or something?"

"It's his own stupid fault," Yuki said under his breath before chewing on a mouthful of rice.

"Actually, it would be a good idea for you two to go look for Kyo. He has been gone rather long…." Shigure said.

"Why didn't you just volunteer yourself instead of me?" Yuki hissed, but Tohru was all ready on her feet, rushing to the closet where the raincoats and umbrellas were kept.

Shigure grinned. "Someone's got to watch the house, Yuki, and I'm sure she'll enjoy your company far more than mine."

"Here Yuki," Tohru said, holding out an umbrella and his jacket. He sighed, gave her a smile and took the articles from him.

* * *

They had been out in the rain for nearly an hour now. Tohru insisted he had left through the backdoor, out into the woods behind the house, and that they should look there. Yuki allowed her to steer him through the trees, though he was sure that Kyo had run off to the dojo where Kazuma lived.

"Kyo! Kyo!" Tohru called, her voice just barely audible through the sound of the rain. "Oh Yuki…what if he gets sick?"

"He'll be fine," Yuki assured her, pausing in his steps. The bottom of his pants were soaked and muddy. That stupid cat was going to _pay_…

Tohru walked a few steps ahead, calling for Kyo. Yuki sighed. This was getting them no where. The span of land covered by trees wasn't huge on any scale, but it was still a large piece of land to search through, and because of the rain, Kyo wouldn't be able to hear Tohru at all.

He glanced around; everything looked the same. Brown, grey, brown, brown, red, brown-

Yuki snapped his head back at the flash of bright read he'd seen, and took a step closer, unable to see exactly what it was through the rain.

It was Kyo's hair of course; he was sprawled on the ground, his skin pale with his brilliant hair plastered around his face.

"Tohru, he's over here!"

She came running over immediately, and cried out when she saw Kyo. Both crouched beside him; Yuki checked his pulse, just in case. As much as he hated Kyo, if he was hurt, he'd help him, almost as though it were an obligation. It was fairly strong, but his skin was freezing.

"Tohru," Yuki said, "I'm going to run back and call Hatori. I'll be right back; stay with him, okay?"

She nodded and he raced off.

* * *

Kyo grinned, standing over the wheezing form of Cat.

"You put up a good fight, Cat, for being so weak. I didn't expect you to last this long."

_I'm not gone yet, Kyo Sohma._

"You will be." The thought of finally being free from him made Kyo's grin widen. "One more hit, and you're out of here."

_You are a strange boy, to want me out, Kyo Sohma. I strengthen you, I have helped you in so many ways…._

"Helped me? You ruined my life! You- everyone despised me because you decided to possess me! Fucking cat…. It's time for you to go possess someone else!"

With a swift kick of his legs, he hit Cat in the gut. The deformed creature let out a loud growl, and Kyo was violently thrown back, away from the plane he was on, back to his body.

He slowly opened his eyes. He felt tired, so very tired, but it wasn't the exhaustion he usually felt from the rain. It was from fighting Cat, he was mentally exhausted.

Tohru was over him, an umbrella in her hand.

"Kyo?" she whispered.

He smiled. "I won…." He said, feeling himself drift off. "I beat…the curse…."

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

"'_Cause I'm as free as a bird now…_."  
Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd

* * *

Tohru had stayed by Kyo's side, kneeling on the muddy ground with Kyo's head in her lap as she held the umbrella over the two of them. He was still out of it; he appeared to be peacefully asleep, his hair had dark brown splotches of what Tohru assumed to be mud. Several minutes ago, he'd muttered a few words, a smile on his face, before he drifted back into unconsciousness. The words he said were so strange, made no sense. '_I won…I beat…the curse…_' What did that mean, he beat the curse? Maybe he was just delirious.

But what had happened? Why had he gone out, knowing how weak he became in the rain? Surely that was why he had passed out, or whatever had happened. But, why would he have gone out…?

He heard voices in the distance, and looked up, away from Kyo. Two dots of light were coming closer. "Tohru?" the voices called over the rain.

"Over here!" she yelled.

The lights became closer, and soon she could see that it was Shigure and Yuki, both holding flashlights. Shigure paused when he reached her, staring down at Kyo. "He hasn't awoken?"

"No…. Not really…."

The dog sighed. "We have to get him inside. Yuki, get him by the legs; I'll support his torso."

Tohru didn't move as Shigure crouched on the ground after handing her his flashlight. If she had, Kyo's head would have been on the wet ground, and that would not have been good for him. It had been somewhat of a problem for Shigure to lift him up with Tohru in the way, but he didn't object, and eventually he was lifted off the ground. As Yuki and Shigure made their way back to the house, Tohru picked up the flashlight that Yuki had placed on the wet earth and scampered after them, careful to keep her umbrella over Kyo's head once she reached them.

Once inside, Tohru fetched several large towels from the linen closet that was on the second floor and hurried downstairs. Kyo had been laid on the floor of the living room, Shigure supporting his head, while Yuki stood awkwardly several feet away.

"Tohru, hand me one of those towels," Shigure said.

She did as she was told; she had never seen Shigure so serious, and it made her wonder if, in fact, Kyo's condition was serious as well.

"Hatori's coming," he said, carefully placing the towel under Kyo's head as Tohru knelt beside Kyo. "He should be comfortable until Ha'ri gets here."

Tohru nodded, kneeling beside Kyo. Ever so carefully, she began dabbing at his face with one of the towels. He was shaking slightly, shivering from the cold, from the rainwater. Shigure reappeared a moment later with a blanket, which he draped over Kyo, then left to wait for Hatori by the door.

Tohru began then to gently dry his hair, to try and get the dirt and water out. His hair was so incredibly dark now, almost completely brown; only the ends were red. She combed her fingers through his hair, to get all the knots out, then rubbed with a towel. Though the towel grew wet, none of the dirt came onto the towel.

She heard the sound of the front door opening, and then there were Shigure and Hatori's voices. Both men came into the room; Hatori immediately went to Kyo while Shigure leaned in the doorway.

"Has he awoken?" Hatori asked, setting his medical bag down beside Kyo.

Tohru shook her head. "No, he's stayed asleep since he was brought back to the house."

"And before then? You stayed with him while Yuki went to get Shigure, didn't you?"

"I did," she nodded. "He- he sort of woke up…I'm not really sure. He mumbled a bit…"

"Really?" Hatori was pulling the blanket back and unbuttoning his younger cousin's shirt. "What did he say? Anything about how he got hurt?" He put his stethoscope on and pressed the round part to Kyo's chest.

"No…. It was something about beating the curse…. I'm not really sure what he meant."

Hatori's eyebrows rose. "Really?… Tohru, why don't you go clean yourself up while I take care of Kyo?"

Tohru hesitated. She didn't want to leave Kyo, even though she knew he was in good hands.

"He'll be fine," Hatori said gently. "I may have to undress him to check for any wounds."

She blushed. "Oh! All right; I'll- I'll stay out of your way…."

Tohru stood up and went upstairs. Once in her room, she realized that Hatori's advice had been good; she was absolutely filthy. Her socks and knees were caked in mud, and she was wet from the rain, despite her umbrella. She decided that a bath would be a good idea, that she could check on Kyo afterwards.

After she was freshly scrubbed and dressed (in her pajamas, for it was growing late), she went to see how Kyo was doing. Not finding him in the living room, Tohru ran back upstairs to Kyo's room.

Shigure, Hatori and Kyo were inside, Kyo still asleep but now in his bed. Hatori and Shigure were staring at him curiously.

"Hatori?"

He looked over at her. "Yes Tohru?"

"How's Kyo?"

The doctor sighed. "He…is perfectly fine. He has a few bruises, but that is all. The only possible explanation I can give is that he grew too weak in the rain."

"But what about his hair?" Shigure asked.

"Huh?" Tohru looked curiously at Shigure.

"His hair is black," Shigure said. "We were drying him off before he was put in dryer clothes, and…his hair is black. I had thought at first that it was merely dirty, but no dirt came off it."

_That's what I thought_.

"I don't understand why his hair would change colors…. Maybe it _is_ just dirt," Hatori said. "It'll probably wash out when he showers." He sighed. "I'll be going now, since he appears to be fine. Call me if there's any sign that there's something wrong."

Tohru nodded.

* * *

Kyo slowly opened his eyes. Light was pouring in through the window above his bed, illuminating his bedroom. He blinked, trying to remember how he had gotten in his bed, searching through his memory for last night's events. Waking up, the rain, going outside, Cat-

A grin spread across his face as he remembered. _Yes_. He had defeated the curse, had forced Cat out. He was _free_, free from the curse, free from Akito, free from it all. His grin grew; he felt lighter than ever, happier than he had ever felt.

He sat up, got out of bed. He really did feel lighter; Cat's presence was completely gone from his mind, from his body. Kyo quickly dressed, and headed downstairs, his stomach rumbling. No wonder he was so hungry, he hadn't eaten at all yesterday.

No one was in the kitchen, but he could hear voices in a nearby room. There usual lingering odor of food was missing, so Kyo assumed he missed breakfast. This wasn't a problem; Tohru always made a little extra in case one of them became hungry between meals. He opened the refrigerator and peered inside.

"Kyo?"

Kyo jumped; he hadn't heard anyone come into the kitchen. He looked over. Tohru was standing in the doorway, staring at him.

"Hey."

"Kyo," Tohru said softly, taking another step in, "are you okay?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" He pulled a carton of milk out of the fridge and opened it.

"You- you were unconsious last night, and Hatori c-couldn't find anything wrong with you-"

"That's 'cause there _isn't_ anything wrong," Kyo said and began drinking from the carton.

"-a-and your hair's black."

Kyo spat out a mouthful of milk, coughing. His hair was _black_ now? What the hell?

"Kyo!" Tohru gasped as he bent double, coughing and wheezing. She ran to him, careful not to step in the puddle he had just created.

"What the hell do you mean, my hair's black?" Kyo snapped, wiping his mouth.

"It-it's black," Tohru stammered, looking a little hurt.

"What's going on in here?" Shigure poked his head through the doorway. "Oh- Kyo? Is that you?"

Kyo didn't answer. Instead, he ran to the bathroom to look at his reflection.

Tohru had been right. His hair was black, completely black. That wasn't all. His eyes were no longer a deep crimson, but dark brown. He touched his hair, unable to believe it was his own.

"What the hell….?"

* * *

Another chapter! Wooo!

I hope this story is going okay. I'm always nervous when I extend one-shots into multiple chapter stories, 'cause I always feel that the original idea of a one-shot is better than what I end up with.

Please leave some constructive critiscism.

Hope you enjoyed!


	4. Chapter 4

Kyo spent several minutes in the bathroom, staring at his reflection. It made perfect sense that his red hair was gone; he only had it because it was a characteristic of the cat, just like Haru's hair was a characteristic of the cow. But, it was such a shock. It would take a long time for him to get used to this much darker color.

He heard a door slam, the front door from where the sound came from, and then pounding feet across the floor. He considered hiding out in the bathroom, figuring it was Kagura (for who else would enter so noisily and urgently) until he heard Kazuma's voice float out from the living room.

"Where's Kyo? Is he all right?"

He was out of breath, his questions coming out in gasps. But, Kyo had heard the urgency in his voice, the worry and the fear. He sighed; had Kazuma heard that he was unconscious and worked himself up, worrying about him? He walked out of the bathroom and headed to the living room.

Kazuma had his back to him, and was facing Yuki and Shigure. Tohru was walking in from the kitchen.

"Shishou."

His karate master turned around quickly, and stared hard at him, as though unsure it was him. "Kyo?"

"Yeah, it's me," Kyo said. "What're you-"

He was cut off very suddenly when Kazuma flung his arms around Kyo, holding him tightly. Kyo gasped, nearly choking. "Shishou!"

He was cut off once more by a squeeze. "I was so worried…." He heard Kazuma mutter. "I'm so glad you're all right….I thought you'd…."

"You though I had what?" Kyo asked when the karate master finally let go of him.

"I-I thought you were dead, Kazuma said slowly.

"Why the hell would you think that?" Kyo snapped. "I was just unconscious, and Tohru said Hatori couldn't find anything wrong with me-"

"There's another Cat."

The room fell silent, all eyes on Kazuma. Yuki, normally composed Yuki, had his mouth open slightly, Kyo's eyes were large and Shigure had, for once, a completely serious expression as he stared at his cousin.

"What do you mean?" Tohru asked quietly.

"I just found out today, from one of the kids I train. A distant relative had a girl last night. When the father held her, she transformed into a cat. I…. Since the curse only breaks when – when you die, I had thought…." Kazuma trailed off.

All eyes turned now to Kyo; he shifted uncomfortably under their stares. He hated being the center of attention.

"How did you do it?" Shigure asked quietly.

"Huh?"

"You broke the curse, didn't you?" Shigure said, that strange, eerily serious expression still locked on his face. "How did you do it?"

Kyo shifted again, and brought a hand up to scratch the back of his head. "I-I just…. I fought the Cat."

"Fought- how did you do that?" Yuki sputtered. "They're _spirits_, not beings!"

"I told you, I _fought_ him!" Kyo snapped back, expecting to feel his hair start to bristle as it always did. But, it didn't, and he almost sighed. There were a lot of traits that Cat took with him when he left; he'd have to get used to it.

"But how!"

"I-I…. Can you…feel your zodiac animals? Like…you just sort of know they're there?"

Both Shigure and Yuki nodded, while Tohru and Kazuma looked completely lost.

"I meditated, and when I got deep enough, I was _with_ Cat. I fought him, and I won."

The room was quiet for a moment. Then, Shigure spoke.

"Kazuma," he said, "I do believe I shall start taking meditation classes at the dojo shortly."

* * *

Word spread quickly about how Kyo beat the curse, and how the other members of the zodiac could also beat it. The only two who did actually break the curse were Hatsuharu and Shigure. Yuki, Kagura, and Ritsu all tried to defeat their zodiac animals, and failed. Hatori and Momiji didn't want to force the curse onto other Sohma's, and Kisa and Hiro were too young, and hadn't received enough training. Only Aaya didn't care either way if he was cursed. But, the fact that Kyo was able to break free from the curse and Yuki couldn't only worsened the all ready tense relationship between each other. Yuki would fight Kyo nearly every time they were in the same room, and it got so bad that Kyo moved in with Kazuma at the dojo. 

The only downside of this was that he saw less of Tohru.

True, he saw her in school, but he did miss seeing her around the house, to have her just brighten up his day with that goofy smile of hers. He made an effort to spend time with her whenever she wasn't working and when he wasn't training at the dojo, but Yuki was almost always with her then. With the tension between them, it only made Tohru uncomfortable, and he definitely did not want that.

One day, after school, Kazuma suggested that, instead of training, they go visit the new cat of the zodiac, saying that Kyo hadn't seen her yet, and that he should. It was over six months since the baby had been born, six months since he had beat the curse. Kyo had been slightly nervous about it; the new cat's mother would undoubtedly be there. Would she blame him? Or, would she blame her daughter, hate her just as his mother hated him?

He was not expecting to be greeted by a warm smile and the mother holding the baby, who had bright orange hair and deep red eyes. Kyo was suspicious at first; nearly all his relatives had been fooled by his own mother's warm outer shell. He wanted to find out if there was a chance that this new cousin of his was going to be in as much of an unhappy setting as he grew up in; if at all possible, he'd try to prevent it.

"Hello Emiko," Kazuma said, giving a little bow as he came in.

"Hello," she said happily, her smile widening. She looked over Kazuma's shoulder at Kyo. "And you must be Kyo; hello. It's amazing we haven't met yet and we're in the same family, don't you think?"

Kyo shrugged. It wasn't that amazing; there were so many Sohma's, it was completely possible to never meet each and every one of them.

"How's she been doing?" Kazuma asked, smiling down at the baby.

"Oh, she's been a handful, but I'm getting used to it. Aiko's very fussy." Emiko beamed down at her daughter.

Kyo perked up at the sound of her name. "Aiko?" he repeated.

"Yes," Emiko said. "It fits her, don't you think? I'd let you hold her, but she'd transform, wouldn't she?"

"Yeah," Kyo said. Kagura, before she knew that Kyo was no longer possessed by one of the spirits, had pounced on him and promptly turned into a boar.

"I guess that's all right just the same; I don't think I could let her go. She's just so precious….Oh, what are we doing, standing in the hall? Come in, come into the living room and make yourself comfortable."

Inside the living room, Kazuma and Emiko chatted for about how work was going and the like, while Kyo sat on the floor with Aiko, who was busy playing with some blocks. All read around her wrist were some beads; a new bracelet, one small enough to fit around her tiny wrist. Kyo still hadn't parted with his. He felt naked, exposed without them, and he supposed he always would. Aiko giggled happily as she knocked over a small tower of blocks Kyo had been building out of boredom.

Kyo smiled at the small laugh. He was not partial to babies, but Aiko _was_ cute. Unfortunately, his mind reminded him, she was also that cat, and no matter how cute she was, the other members of the zodiac and other relatives were not going to treat her nicely. For the first time, he felt bad for breaking free of the curse and causing someone else to become the cat.

Slowly, Kyo leaned in and softly said to Aiko, "Kid, when you're old enough, I'll teach you how to break the curse, okay?"

Aiko gurgled and Kyo smiled again. He'd make sure she grew up happy.

* * *

!End! 

I hope you all enjoyed the story!

Please leave some constructive criticisms.

Oh, and Aiko means "little loved one" in Japanese...or so my sources tell me.


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